BALANGA City: The Nuclear- Free Bataan Movement (NYBM) on Wednesday warned government that it is threading on dangerous energy direction placing Filipino communities at risk with the result of an alleged flawed public survey and the passage of a new atomic energy law.
NYBM made the warning after a survey commissioned by the Department of Energy released a report that more than 70% of Filipinos are in favor of nuclear power coupled with the passage of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Act.
The group claimed that the survey and the passage of the new law were mere government strategies to give way to the revival of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in Morong town and pave the way for building new nuclear plants.
“A survey cannot contain a radioactive leak. A new law cannot prevent a disaster,” articulated NFBM chair Lawyer Dante Ilaya.
“We are being rushed into a nuclear future based on a poll that highlighted only the benefits and downplayed the catastrophic risks of operating a nuclear plant. The ghost of the BNPP and the tragedies of Chernobyl and Fukushima are being wiped out by a marketing campaign,” Ilaya said.
NFBM claimed that the survey did not adequately present what will happen in cases of nuclear accidents, did not tackle the problem on radioactive waste and the huge financial costs it will incur.
“The movement asserts that this created a skewed and twisted picture of public opinion, which is now being used to legitimize a pre-determined policy,” Ilaya furthered.
“True security doesn’t come from rushing to embrace the most dangerous energy source on earth,” Ilaya added. “It comes from transparent debate, genuine community consent, and investing in safer, cleaner alternatives like solar and wind that will not leave a poisonous legacy for our children.” (30)
